Changing The Game

In this episode, Wilson Casado interviews Raby Gueye. Raby Gueye is the founder and CEO of Teach For Senegal. Originally from Podor, Senegal. At the age of 8, Raby moved to the United States, and since then, she has maintained a strong commitment to social justice issues. At Arizona State University, Raby assisted with research on gender violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her role as an English teacher in underserved communities in India allowed her to collaborate with a diverse group of NGOs to help increase the literacy rate. In 2015, she was recruited by Teach For America to join a national corps of recent college graduates and professionals who commit to teaching in urban and rural public schools. As a teacher, Raby prioritized building strong relationships with her students and families to create an environment where all families feel welcomed and included. A 2019 Echoing Green Fellow, Raby has a bachelor’s in Global Studies and a master’s degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University. Raby was also honored to be featured in Forbes 30 Under 30. She was also honored at the 2022 World Youth Forum by the president of Eygpt for her work at Teach For Senegal. 

Mihailo Bozic's Entrepreneurial JourneyMihailo Bozic's path to becoming an entrepreneur was shaped by his unique interests and innate curiosity. While his peers indulged in gaming-related YouTube videos, Mihailo found himself drawn to TED Talks and other intellectually stimulating content. This divergence set him apart, but rather than feeling excluded, it acted as a natural filter that helped him form strong connections with like-minded friends from a young age. As he grew older, his entrepreneurial spirit started to take shape.One of Mihailo's early ventures into entrepreneurship came when he was in year 10, making memes about Star Wars. Initially met with skepticism from his parents, they soon realized it was a legitimate source of income when the first payment arrived. Despite having success with his meme page, Mihailo's strict Serbian family expected him to pursue higher education. He chose Finance and Economics as his field of study at the University of Western Australia (UWA). During his time at UWA, he actively participated in various clubs and societies. However, he encountered a significant challenge - reaching out to first-year students who lacked access to Facebook, hindering their participation in events. Recognizing this problem, Mihailo saw an opportunity to create a solution.Envited: The Birth and Launch of the StartupIn his final semester at university, Mihailo teamed up with Jordan, the co-founder of Envited, to address the problem he had identified. They began working together to create a platform that would enable better communication and engagement for all students, including those without access to mainstream social media platforms. Despite the challenging circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mihailo saw potential in launching Envited, particularly in Perth, where the pandemic's impact was relatively mild. He believed that positioning Envited as the go-to choice for events once life returned to normal after lockdowns would give them an advantage.In March 2021, Envited was launched, and the team's efforts started to gain recognition. Within a few months, they won a startup competition in May of the same year, marking a turning point for Mihailo and his team. This victory encouraged them to take their venture more seriously and provided validation for their idea. Leveraging their network and connections, they secured spaces at Spacecubed and WeWork to establish their operations. However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for Mihailo and his team. They faced the challenge of securing funding to further grow their startup.Challenges and Success in Building EnvitedMihailo had initially believed that securing funding would be relatively easy, assuming that investors would eagerly support their innovative idea. However, he quickly learned that dealing with rejection was an inevitable part of the entrepreneurial journey. Out of the 60 investors he contacted, only one showed genuine interest in investing. This experience taught him the importance of building sustainable relationships over time. To manage the process effectively, Mihailo maintained a detailed spreadsheet to track interactions and reasons for disinterest, allowing them to refine their pitch and approach.Persistence paid off for Mihailo and his team as they finally secured their first investment from Galileo Ventures after six months of building a strong relationship and showcasing their progress. Mihailo's youth proved to be an advantage in the eyes of investors, as they recognized the potential of early-stage startups led by young founders. According to him, three crucial characteristics for a CEO are the ability to recruit top talent, retain morale within the team, and manage finances effectively. These qualities were essential as Envited continued to grow and evolve.Lessons and Advice for Aspiring EntrepreneursMihailo's entrepreneurial journey taught him invaluable lessons...

Josh Van Ross, the founder and managing director of Drone Sky Shows, has an entrepreneurial journey filled with ups and downs. From exploring various career paths to learning valuable lessons through failures, Van Ross has emerged as a successful entrepreneur in the drone industry. This article will delve into different themes of his life, highlighting the pivotal moments that shaped his trajectory.Journey of Many PassionsJosh's early years were marked by a diverse range of interests. Initially studying musical theater and earning a Wappa certification in high school, he realized that this path wasn't for him. He then pursued business law and management studies at UWA while concurrently serving in the army reserve.While on a ship, Josh had an epiphany that he needed to start his own business. He borrowed $50,000 and ventured into the food van industry. Unfortunately, the business faltered after just one hour of operation. Undeterred, he secured a job and later went on to successfully fund another company, which was eventually sold in 2020.The Entrepreneurial SpiritReflecting on his early life, Josh contemplates the origins of his entrepreneurial spirit. He acknowledges that starting a business is akin to building a house – filled with challenges, but ultimately rewarding. Although some aspects can be tedious, he thrives on the constant learning and adaptability required in entrepreneurship.During his time with EO, Josh realised the value of connecting with fellow founders who face similar struggles. He learned the importance of not getting too emotionally attached to his business. These lessons proved vital when he sold his previous company, ultimately confirming it as a wise decision.He also had an exciting participation in the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA). Despite being the only competitor in the initial phases, he made it to the international finals without even pitching his idea. This experience provided him with valuable insights and highlighted the need to foster entrepreneurial opportunities for Australian students.Seizing an OpportunityWhile still in the army reserve, Van Ross watched a drone show on Reddit during an exercise and realized its potential in Australia. He conducted extensive research, identified the logistics and costs involved, and after six months he had everything he needed to fund Drone Sky Shows. He believes that taking action is what differentiates those with great ideas from successful entrepreneurs.Josh understands that innovation is not solely about creating new products but also about recognizing opportunities and bringing existing products to new markets. His venture into the drone industry exemplifies this approach, showcasing how he saw untapped potential and capitalized on it.He firmly believes that the drone industry is on a rapid growth trajectory. Drones are already making an impact across various sectors, such as defense, medical supply delivery, mapping, and surveys. As the industry expands, competition increases, costs decrease, and ancillary support services like structural and legislation companies become vital.Conclusion Josh Van Ross's journey to success in the drone industry showcases the power of resilience, adaptability, and seizing opportunities. From his failed food van venture to his flourishing drone show company, he exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit and the willingness to learn from both successes and failures. With his unwavering determination and passion for innovation, Josh continues to make strides in the rapidly evolving drone industry.And if you enjoyed Josh’s talk and are excited to see more game changers, feel free to check out the Changing the Game podcast, either on YouTube or on your preferred platform.

Cath Rogers is a global leader in the venture capital industry, currently serving as a GP at Antler, a global early-stage venture capital firm that builds and invests in the defining technology companies of tomorrow. With a diverse background in law, commerce, finance, and private equity, Cath's journey to her current role has been one of passion and curiosity. Her interest in technology and innovation began early on in her career when she worked as one of the first hires for a b2b platform for construction in Europe during the dot-com boom. She then went on to work in consulting and banking in Australia, which led her to develop a real interest in the idea of investing, particularly in private equity. Cath spent a significant part of her career studying and working outside of Australia, in locations such as London, New York, Latin America, France, and Singapore.Cath's Approach to InvestingCath is driven by her desire to invest in companies making a positive impact on society. As a GP at Antler, Cath is able to bring all of her experiences and passions to bear. She is part of a global, early-stage firm with 25 locations, focused on backing great founders building the deployment companies of tomorrow. Cath and Antler are seeking to make exceptional returns for their investors by investing across a diverse portfolio of opportunities that they can diligently evaluate over a period of months.A diverse background in law, commerce, and finance, coupled with her interests in technology, innovation, and investing, presented her with many choices in her career. However, she believes that her curiosity and desire to learn and experience new things have led her to where she is today. Cath has always personally placed a lot of value on life experiences from different cultures, places, and people, which has impacted her career choices.Curious and passionate Motivated by a desire for exploration and personal growth, Cath's journey has been influenced by various factors including her travels, exposure to the dot-com boom, and a drive to make a positive impact through investing. As a successful GP at Antler, she is able to combine these elements to help shape the future of the venture capital industry.Her experiences have taught her the value of being adaptable and seizing opportunities, such as taking a position in a sovereign wealth fund focused on clean tech investing in Abu Dhabi. A consistent theme in her career has been a passion for investing in companies that have a positive impact on society.Cath's success in the venture capital industry highlights the importance of pursuing one's passions and seeking out opportunities that align with personal values. She believes that the key to success in venture capital lies in identifying great founders who are building the deployment companies of the future. To this end, Cath focuses on early-stage investments in a diverse portfolio of opportunities that can be carefully evaluated over a period of months.Throughout her career, Cath's interests have been wide-ranging, and she has faced the challenge of choosing between various opportunities. She studied commerce and law at university but was also considering a cadetship with the Reserve Bank or switching to Medicine. She decided to spend a year living in London after university and eventually found a job with a startup in the finance industry. She was one of the first ten hires and worked on various tasks, including marketing and strategy.Cath's interest in different cultures and places has been a driving force throughout her career. She has lived and worked in various locations, such as New York, Spain, Latin America, and Abu Dhabi. Her fluency in Spanish also allowed her to explore the Latin American market during a time of economic growth...

Rebecca Loftus and Nicole Gazey have collaborated to establish Idea Academy, an unconventional educational choice for young students in Australia. With their diverse backgrounds in science, teaching, and counseling, they offer a unique outlook on education. They are devoted to assisting creative and entrepreneurial students, and their commitment to this is evident in the way they have designed the academy.Idea Academy is intended for students aged 15 to 24 who want an alternative to traditional education. It offers both full-time and part-time options, and students can build professional networks, connect with workplaces, and develop skills to prepare for their next phase. Situated in the city, it is accessible to students from all walks of life.A Challenging ProcessThe process of creating Idea Academy was challenging for Rebecca and Nicole. They had to pitch their idea persistently and even attended a pitching event just four days before Rebecca's childbirth. Nevertheless, their perseverance and passion for providing an unconventional educational option for young people have paid off. Idea Academy is a testament to their vision and hard work, and it is sure to make a positive impact on the lives of many young students in Australia.Team EffortWorking with children and teenagers can be difficult, particularly when dealing with a volatile age group. Parents often feel apprehensive about entrusting their children to others, particularly when their children are struggling with school and life. However, working as a team can significantly improve the lives of these young people.They have found that parents appreciated their ideas because they were part of a team effort. Instead of taking control and dictating what to do, the team collaborated with parents and engaged them in the process. This approach is similar to the primary school model, where parents are encouraged to participate in their child's education.The team's approach involves enlisting parents as part of the plan and maintaining a broad network of connections to provide comprehensive strategies for the young person. The team meets the child where they're at and works with them, even if they can only make it to school sporadically. They find something for the student to engage with, and even small efforts can make a significant difference.Parents have praised Idea Academy's approach, noting a positive change in their child's behavior. Students who once refused to attend school now show up every day. They meet them where they're at and work with them to keep them motivated and engaged. The Academy’s comprehensive strategy also includes having a reference point and a vast network of connections. This ensures that they can provide support and resources whenever the young person needs it.Beyond the academic challengesAssisting young people not only with their academic struggles but also with life challenges, they provide support and resources to help students cope with mental health, social issues, and family problems. With their comprehensive strategy, they can help young people overcome these challenges and realize their full potential.In summary, Their approach is an excellent example of how involving parents in the process can make a significant difference in the lives of children and teenagers who are struggling with school and life in general. Parents are no longer hesitant to entrust their children to others, but instead, they are involved in the process, making it a team effort. A comprehensive strategy, a broad network of connections, and a focus on helping young people cope with life's challenges are all critical factors that contribute to their success. This approach is a positive step towards helping young people reach their full potential and lead...

Charlie Caruso’s background is less of a story about finding a passion and working on it and more of a constellation, where each passion shines on its own and leans into the others into a complex yet fascinating network.These passions include writing, podcasting, consulting for start-ups, blockchain, NGOs, all of which are tied to her love of problem solving and disruptive technological solutions that puts her in ever new and exciting projects.Charlie’s trajectory was marked by her constant reliving of a moment that is somewhat rare for most entrepreneurs: The moment when you fall in love with a new idea. Which is what makes her such an amazing guest for today’s Changing the Game episode.The Greatest Pleasure in LifeFrom a very early age, Charlie was the type of kid who would read lots of books and probe adults for logic gaps with question after question, that’s right, a nerd, but not like most of the nerds you saw at high school or maybe in the mirror.She was the type of nerd that had a very clear talent, one that teachers didn’t seem to recognise at first. “ A Writer?” they would say, “With those grades why settle for being a writer?”, and yet, it felt right for Charlie, so much so that she saw writing as the way to convince her sister to let her borrow her clothes through a five page contract.This was when her mother told her she should be a lawyer, and now, a self-published author and a master of international law, Charlie is living proof that the greatest pleasure in life is to do what others say you cannot do.A Founder In The Frontiers of PodcastingLike most things in her life, Charlie’s entrepreneurial and podcasting journey began as the solution to a problem, namely being stuck in traffic with nothing good to listen on the radio.The usual music radio was playing Rihanna’s “S&M”, not exactly what the children in the backseat ought to be listening, switching radios only proved equally disheartening as the alternative, TalkBack Radio was about a Cricketers wife losing pregnancy weight.Something had to be done. And Charlie was going to take matters into her own hands.So, after a quick search, she embarked on a journey that would eventually lead her to having her own online radio and podcast long before those were a thing.This was not an easy journey by any means. From a technological standpoint, Charlie was too early, and circumstances soon began to poke holes at her business model, meaning she had to make too many compromises, ultimately leading to its end.And yet, there is something of value to be taken from this “failure”, as she did at the time, which is having the fortitude to roll with the punches of having a business sink and going for something new.The Wealth of ErrorIn many ways, having a business that didn’t work out was paradoxically essential for Charlie’s success, as her problem-solving mind was able to soon detect the patterns of those mistakes in other businesses, making her an excellent consultant.Granted, the corporate world was not her natural habitat, but it did have something she needed at the time: money. And it was not long before she found something to be passionate about as a consultant.She soon found out that helping founders tell their stories and raise funding was something she could really get behind, so much so that she began to undercharge for the sake of sticking with the founders she believed in.Quokka CapitalCharlie’s newest project, Quokka Capital is an early-stage venture capital limited partnership created to provide start-ups in Perth with tax incentives in order to help them start off on the right foot and develop.Quokka operates off a government incentive that gives investors an exemption of tax for investments up to 250 million dollars per investment, a golden opportunity for a state like WA that they want to take...

Reading Kylie Frazer’s bio may get you a slew of interesting information, including her amazing work at Flying Fox, the venture capital agency she co-founded that helps Australian startups hit it big abroad and interest in bringing empathy to early stage investment.What you don’t get from her bio is the “uncool” confession that Kylie also loves being a lawyer and that even while practicing law, she was trying to humanise client/firm relations in terms of making the exchange rewarding for both sides.As we’ll see, this is a pattern for Kylie, one that she perpetrates with good humor and a genuine passion for seeing the founders she funds succeed. And, as we get to know her, we’ll learn quite a bit about angel investing from her perspective. The Women Behind Flying Fox“I wasn’t looking for a female partner, I was looking for the best partner”, Kylie remarked about coming together with Rachel Newman for co-founding the Flying Fox, a sentiment that now extended to her yet undisclosed third partner who was confirmed to be a female.Kylie made a point, however, to remark how women were still shamefully missing from decision making spaces, both in investing and beyond, and that unfortunately, companies like hers were still a minority in the market.Her views on such matters are worth taking note, as they show what can happen when we let problematic thought patterns get in the way of good intentions.This becomes clear in her comment on how investors would always hand her female founders to work with based on nothing but her gender, with the underlying premisse that she, as a woman, would only invest in other women. Getting a woman’s profile on the table solely because they’re female is just as much of a mistake as not doing it for the same reason. Inclusivity is about different people working together in unison, not in enclosed bubbles.Worms For The Economy (and the planet)Being an angel investor, Kylie had the chance to work on several trailblazing projects, and though she refused to tell me her favorite one for professional reasons, we still got to hear about the startup that was turning worms into money for the environment.The company was called “Go Terra”, and it had several contracts in Australia for waste management which they tended to by adding an organic factor into the process: Worms.Nature’s little janitors are employed to have their fill of food and organic waste and wound up having so much food that they would eventually die of gluttony, but worry not, they had a happy and fitting end as the chubby ingredients in pet food products.The founder for Goterra, Olympia Jager, eventually got the Australian of the Year Award for her company’s work, showing not only what founders are capable of, but also the potential of companies like Flying Fox, that help them get off the ground.Sharing Is CaringSomething else that’s unique about Flying Fox is its policy regarding sharing their carry with founders, something so unique that it gets to the point of being mindblowing in terms of what it means for the sector.The initiative arose out of Kylie and Rachel’s desire to walk the talk when it came to being “founder friendly", and to create an environment where founders could help each other while still being rewarded for their efforts.Sure, most venture partnerships are based off founders mutually supporting each other because that’s just how it tends to work in early stage investments, but being a good lawyer, Kylie wanted their intent to be represented in their structure.This makes Flying Fox the first company of its kind in Australia, one that hopefully starts a trend of less greedy investment partnerships and funds.Helping FoundersThe first thing an investor should bring to the table for their founder according to Kylie Frazer?Cash.Sure, you can be a great advisor...

2022 was a busy year and I was lucky enough to finish it off with a conversation with Aprill Allen.Aprill is the COO and co-founder of Tractor Ventures, an initiative focused on providing technology start-ups from Australia and New Zealand with non-dilutive strategic funding in order to foster their growth.Along with her business and life partner, Matt Allen, Aprill boasts an investment portfolio of over 50 companies and provides her process improvement expertise to the companies supported by Tractor ventures.Fridays Off Stepping out of the confines of her bio, Aprill tells us how she met her husband Matt while working for the Australian telecommunications company One.Tel in the late 90’s. She would eventually leave the company to become a solo consultant before joining Tractor full time.Tractor has a “Fridays off” policy which Aprill uses to work on her art studio and can often be found painting on Fridays in between enjoying her weekend with her husband and two teenage sons.Not having gone through any graduation in the field of technology beyond a computing certificate from the Computer Power Training Institute, which landed her the position in One.Tel from which she’d build the rest of her expertise through experience.She also points out how much of what she’s learned from her current line of work came from absorbing the information that she was able to catch from observing her husband’s work as a start-up builder.Aprill’s story is just another trail blazer open to divert from the beaten path of high school-> college -> career along with so many that we have seen on the podcast thus far. It bears repeating that there are many ways to educate a professional. College is just one of them.Tractor VenturesSo, what’s with Tractor Ventures and “non-dilutive” funding solutions for tech businesses? Aprill explains:“We help tech founders who traditionally aren’t super attracted to venture capital, they may not have the same aspirations, they still have ambition but don’t necessarily want to go at that rocketship pace.”And this is the centre of tractor ventures' entire identity, most ventures try to be rocketships, they tend to be very expensive to build and tend to involve a lot of risks. Sure, there might be a big pay off if they stick to landing, but they also explode just as often.Now tractors have the distinct advantage of being cheaper, simpler, and easier to fix, a farmer can rely safely on his tractor with the certainty that it will in all likelihood, never explode.What tractor ventures does is support “tractor” businesses with revenue-based finance within a non-dilutive model, that is a loan that goes back to the fund through a top line share of the monthly revenue.Tractor Ventures still supports their tech companies with everything they need, much like angel investors would, not only about their gross charges, but also with useful connections through the Tractor Ventures “village” where founders can get in touch and cooperate.The Story thus farThe story of tractor ventures goes back to the year of 2012 when Zero did their dual listing on an IPO on the Australian and New Zealand stock exchanges which paved the way for Aprill and her husband to start a self-made superfund.Since then Aprill has advised some of the most successful vanguard companies out there, with Flowork being a worthy mention on her part, along Mr.Yum and GoTerra, helping entrepreneurs manage talents at their disposal within the company.As Aprill told me of all the companies she has worked with, I couldn’t help but notice a glitter of excitement in her eyes when talking about how these businesses have grown, this kind of passion that is quite common amongst angel investors.Angel Investing: Facts and MythThe first fact about angel investing is that it tends to be very high risk, and for...

Terry Rich is a successful CEO and President of 25 years who loves to engage and entertain audiences across the globe.During his appointment by three Governors, his leadership increased lottery sales and profits by 50%. He also led the Blank Park Zoo to profitability from a $600,000 deficit while positioning it as the second largest attended attraction in the state. But his national insight on business, banking, gaming, TV production, marketing and PR led him to success in his professional career and to his passion for public speaking. Oh, and he’s also given away over $1 billion.Recently, Terry headed the team that cracked the largest lottery fraud in US history. During the investigation, Terry oversaw day-to-day operations while considering longterm consequences, adapting quickly to change, and delivering on promises. Before that, he started four successful entrepreneurial businesses, and has numerous national media appearances including ABC, NBC, HBO, CBS, 20/20, CNN, CNBC, USA Today and The New York Times; a movie host on Starz!; and appeared as a panel guest on the "Tonight Show".He’s a disruptive innovator and entrepreneur with a drive for integrity and honesty. He’s worked in the trenches, survived new business trends and had success with generational changes. Terry’s keynotes are energetic, motivating and perfect for an early morning, lunch or after dinner presentation.Terry Rich has authored two books: The $80 Billion Gamble and Dare to Dream, Dare to Act.

Cheryl Mack is a connector.She takes pleasure in bringing people together and driving them towards genuine connections within the communities she creates, be them big or small.With a description like that it would be natural to assume she helps businesses with community building with the end of creating harmonious work environments, but that is not where the surprises stop.Today we are going to do a deep dive into Cheryl’s work at Aussie Angels, her journey towards becoming the amazing professional she is, and how she is changing the game for the Australian market today.Check it out:Real ConnectionsCheryl finding her calling in helping people connect was a natural development from her natural inclinations as an extrovert.Cheryl graduated in business with a major in marketing, but if you asked her, she’d tell you that the biggest takeaways from college were less about social media strategies and more about how to reach out and “work with difficult people”.Soon after graduating and cutting her teeth as a team member at freelancer.com, she went on to found “StartCon”, where she got to put founders and investors in the same room for the very first time.There was, however, a slight problem, a simple, yet nonetheless hard to solve issue where “If you put over one thousand people in the same room expecting them to make the right connections, that isn’t really going to work out.”And so, Cheryl began to figure out how to facilitate these matches made in heaven by herself.In doing so, she brought to the forefront of her brand a fact that is often neglected, especially when on the subject of investments: that they care about people and work with the same dynamics other human relationships work.Angelic InvestingCheryl’s way with people has been instrumental in her role as an angel investor, after all, Investments are all about people talking, sharing ideas and getting into ventures together.And according to her that made all the difference in the world.Now, she’s relatively new to angel investing, and some people have even (however timidly) pointed out that she was rather divergent from the mental picture most people have of an angel investor.On the other hand, that hasn’t really stopped her from going into this space with everything she has, to the point where she could eventually own up to a portfolio of over ten companies.Connections also played a large role in this aspect, as Cheryl was able to help her founders not only through financial support, but also in helping new start-ups reach out to other investors and manage their interpersonal relations on an in-house level.At the end of the day, more than anything she learned in classes, it was Cheryl’s ability to see investing as a team effort and coordinate it as such that made her successful in what she does today.Aussie AngelsNow, if you were paying attention to the intro for this episode of Changing the Game, you might remember me mentioning how Cheryl is the founder of Aussie Angels, an initiative which she described in the following words:“Aussie Angels is a place where angels can co-invest in the most seamless and fun way possible.”What sets this group apart from the rest is how it allows angels to follow other investors whom they like and share their own ventures. They can also join a syndicate without a minimum investment and work under a lead investor.Lead investors are the people looking for new companies, making deals and explaining why they are investing in particular ventures and sharing it with their syndicate who can decide if they’ll join in or not.It also makes the whole process of forming an angel syndicate that much easier and cheaper, which as someone undertaking that task right now, I can’t thank her enough.Sophisticated InvestorA little-known fact about Australia is that...

As the first half of 2022 closes, a new page in Changing the Game starts as I share a table with a guest for the first time, a moment I had the pleasure of sharing with the amazing Esther Oh.Describing her background is a little hard since there seems to be very little she hasn’t done.Esther has several qualifications in fields from IT to law, having worked in the boards and committees of several universities, and having received a ministerial appointment for reforming the TAIFF.However, what brings Esther to this episode of changing the game is less her extensive list of titles and achievements, and more the story of how she came to add “entrepreneur” to her already prolific resume.This story, unfortunately, starts with her having to go through a rather traumatic event:Agile 8Esther describes herself as a mother who’s had her vision transformed by a series of traumatic experiences, and came to find an answer in technology for the issues that contributed to her tribulations.Agile 8, is the result of this broadening of vision, a company that combines AI with enhanced virtual reality to empower health professionals with something akin to x-ray vision, allowing them to work smarter, faster, and safer.Her story is the perfect example of how the hardest blows life deals us often prepare us with the strength to change the game.“How?” you may ask? By making the commitment of not allowing what happened to us to happen to others.Empathy can make an innovator out of anyone.Sight LostSo, what was the traumatic experience that lead to the founding of Agile 8?Well, let us begin by saying that Esther’s son was a perfectly healthy boy who began to develop some sight issues.As any mother would, Esther took him to a doctor, the first doctor, who was not aware of the gravity of the illness affecting her son’s eyes, a mistake shared by the second doctor, a mistake which the third doctor affirmed could have been corrected had it been identified earlier.This was how, while still a child, Esther’s otherwise perfectly healthy son lost his sight permanently.Vision GainedEsther went through what might be a mother’s worst nightmare, to see her son suffer for the rest of his life due to an issue that could have been avoided were it not for a series of problems that impeded the ability of health professionals to operate at their best capacity.Firstly there was the knowledge gap that existed between doctors, as neither of the first two specialists, Esther visited had the same knowledge as the last one, which inevitably lead to the delay in treatment that cost her son’s sight.This is when she realised that the ability of frontline doctors to accurately diagnose an issue as soon as possible not only could have helped her son but could effectively be the difference between life and death for thousands of people.But where this kind of suffering can enclose many of us in our own struggles, her background as a health professional and entrepreneur allowed Esther to see herself as part of a much larger problem. A problem she could give her best to solve.What is Innovation?And this is exactly how she defined innovation: problem-solving.To be more specific, Esther defined innovation as problem-solving using through tackling it from different perspectives, that is, to find and try all possible solutions for solving that problem in the most efficient way.This process starts with a deeper renewal and transformation of your mind. Where other parents could be “wallowing in sorrow and blaming the doctors who didn’t get it right”, Esther took a completely different route.She saw the severe pressure frontline doctors endured and decided that instead of adding to that the weight of her sorrow, she was going to make their jobs and lives easier through the implementation of...

Royce Crown is what you could call the quintessential entrepreneur, starting his first business at nine when he decided to sell lemonade to the other kids on his street.Ten years later he was inaugurating his very first food truck, which would come to be the staple of another future business, but not before he got his hands on a license to work as a helicopter pilot, transporting goods from land to yachts in the Mediterranean.Coming to Australia in 2012, Royce started his new food company, setting up shops in metropolises across the world before going back to his original passion for aviationDriven by this passion, Royce started his new company, Monarch, which along with his trajectory, was the main topic of a conversation we had on the “Changing The Game” podcast, but just in case you’re in a hurry, here are some of the highlights:A Bet, A license, An OpportunitySo, how does a person become a helicopter pilot? What are the requirements? That’s exactly what Royce was discussing with his father, who believed that colorblind people could not get a pilot’s license.It just so happened that Royce had watched a show called Jeopardy that debunked this assertion, so he, as a colorblind young man, decided to strike a bet that if he could pass the eye exam, his father would have to pay for the course.And, given everything that I’ve disclosed in the introduction to this article, I think you can guess who won that bet in the end.At first, Royce didn’t think much would come out of this license, but when he was living in the Mediterranean and applying as a deck hand at a mega yacht, it just so happened that he caught ear that they were needing a pilot.So, remember, no skill gained goes to waste.MonarchRoyce’s experience as a pilot made it so that when he came to Australia in 2012, he brought along an idea for a software that would allow pilots across the world to automate their pricing.The goal is now to take this price automation system and transfer it to usual places people go to in order to survey flight options, thus widening the customer pool for charter flights.Royce does, remark that charter flights, in general, tend to be more expensive, but that the price tag more than made up for in comfort, speed and security. Not having to trudge through a crowded airport and bump shoulders with strangers is worth a couple of hundred dollars.In effect, what Monarch does is make the experience of private flights, which is still seen as exclusive to the rich and famous, more accessible, and despite the increase in the overall passage price, cheaper when you look at the value gained.The Future of Private FlightsEffectively, Monarch is another step forward in an industry-wide movement to make charter, or private, flying more accessible to the general public, while also ensuring that pilots can not only cover all operating costs but make a decent profit.The idea itself is quite fascinating, a world where private flights are not the privilege of the rich and famous, but just another option anyone can opt for while paying a fair price is a real change in the game.An example given by Royce was a pilot who got paid to take a client and three of his family members from Sydney to the Gold Coast, with the full rate, and still got to transport 12 backpackers on the way back for $135 per seat.The clients got to fly comfortably on a private plane for a fraction of what one would expect. The pilot managed to cover all expenses on the first flight and got a good deal of extra income on the way back.Monarch’s system would only make such operations easier by calculating the price of such ventures based on available seats, fuel, distance and so on. Such an innovation could easily change the way we think about commercial flying.The Plotted...

If you own a technology start-up in Australia, you may have heard the name Greg Riebe, and if you haven’t, you’ll be glad to be doing so right now.Greg is the winner of the 2020 Australia’s Angel Investor of the year, largely due to his talent for mixing enabling technology with highly scalable business models that are the perfect dream of most investors.He was the head behind Perth’s first ever technology incubator, managed funds for investing in technology start-ups and has co-founded many successful tech companies himself and today he works advising entrepreneurs on how to become investment ready.And, while doing all of the above and much more, he still found the time to be on the Changing the Game show to talk about how his work has been leading the charge for innovation in Australia and beyond.First InvestmentBefore he could become the investment titan he is today, Greg was (according to his own words), a “propeller head, a geek” that is, a highly specialised software engineer that worked at SGIO during the early 2000s.From this position he was moved to manager, getting his first taste for innovation and advisement before leaving SGIO for a non-for-profit which was able to get a license from the Australian Government to run an investment fund for IOT startups.That was the birth of the very first tech incubator in Perth that we mentioned, which according to Greg also acted as an accelerator, providing capital for new businesses while simultaneously nurturing their growth.While working in that investment fund, Greg found that his passion was to enable other people’s dreams, to “that little glint in their eyes” become a true flame. Ultimately, that is what made him an angel investor, and such a good one at that.Is Investment for The Rich?Now, much like private flights, which we discussed in the last episode, people tend to look at investment as an activity that is exclusive to people who are already rich to begin with, a thought that Greg immediately shot down.He explained that there are many levels that there are plenty of low-cost investments to be made, especially in stock exchange, and that it all comes down to having the knowledge necessary to “identify, filter, select, structure and manage an investment.”You also have to take your “appetite” into consideration, or how much you are expecting to earn out of an investment, and what risks you are willing to take to see that investment through.There is also the option of seeking out managed funds who will look after your investments for you and make all of these decisions under a more specialised context, not to mention the benefit of it being much less time time-consuming.So, if you were thinking about investing and felt like you had neither the knowledge nor wealth to do it, know that there are options for all wallets and levels of experience, not to mention plenty of risk-free (and often free in general) ways of learning.What is Angel Investing?At this point we have thrown the term “Angel Investor” quite a lot, but what does it actually mean?Greg explains that Angel Investors are a collective, or individual that “applies their time, their own money and their knowledge to participate in a venture”, often in the early development stages, sometimes before they even hit the market.Angel investors will then look at such companies through their network and identify those that represent a real opportunity, and then reach out to collaborate with these promising starting companies to help them grow.What differentiates Angel Investing from your usual Investment is that you are not only providing financial funds to a business, you are holding classes to teach them necessary skills, or even providing specialised services to nurture that venture’s growth.Now, this process is not always smooth, and Greg himself described it as “a...

On the last season of changing the game, we covered the pressing issue of gender diversity and the journey of women who have defied the forces arrayed against them to carve a piece of the cake for themselves.Now, As the second season of our podcast begins, we are going to be talking about how new ideas from forward-thinking individuals around the world are transforming society before our very eyes.And what better way to kick things than by interviewing the founder of WeMoney?So that’s exactly what I did, and you can check out some of the highlights from our conversation below:Between The Briefcase and The Tool BoxEvery entrepreneur has a story, and Dan’s started his by talking about her mother, an immigrant who had to raise her children while coming from a very disadvantaged socio-economical background, without having the simple advantage of speaking English.By watching his mother do everything she could in order to raise him and his siblings, Dan learned a valuable lesson: If you want to make it in this world, you have to hustle.On the other side, however, Dan’s father made the options at the table very clear from the start, you either pick up a briefcase, or a tool box. Dan chose neither. He had decided that controlling your own destiny was a far better way of living life.He started to work on the things he truly loved, a plan that hasn’t really changed since he first took it on.The Trouble StudentAccording to Dan himself, he was never the model student, or at least not for the most of his time as a student, mostly because he “didn’t have the attention span to be interested in the formal education system”.He even recalled how most of his grades would always be either “Satisfactory” (as it was written at the time), or that dreaded “BE” for “below expectations, which would get one of his teachers to taunt him by saying he would “never amount to anything”.Now, most people would be rightfully angry at such a declaration, especially for someone who was supposed to make sure that didn’t happen, yet Dan decided to take that a step further and graduate at the top of his class out of sheer spite.As it turns out, a grudge makes for terrific fuel for people’s ambition, and not only did Dan prove his teacher wrong by becoming the best student in his class, he actually scored a spot on a US University to make revenge that much sweeter.The fact that he had actually come to like the academic process came later as a nice bonus for his dedication.We At WeMoneyIf you were to search up Dan’s LinkedIn page and read his Bio, as I do with every guest, instead of the usual three-paragraph description, you would only find the words “Dan from WeMoney”. So, what is WeMoney?In order to understand what any business is about, we need to know the problem it intends to solve, and on this matter, Dan started out by saying that his startup is “a social and economical wellness company.”He then went on to explain how we have all had a bad experience related to money at one point in our lives, and the main reason for that is that most people, and especially newer generations, think about their finances on a very short-term basis.Combine that with the overwhelming complexity of our current financial system, which has us making all sorts of complicated decisions based on concepts it don’t fully understand, and it’s no wonder we have a rocky relationship with money.In order to solve this issue, WeMoney offers an automatisation of personal finance, to put it on “autopilot”, not only in order to avoid future headaches, but also to make it work for you and generate further income.Something that they call “self-driving money”.Talking MoneyOkay, so that is WeMoney’s mission. But what does it actually do?Firstly, it allows...

Not only is Monique Mattos the proud mother of three kids while also being a managing partner and coworker of mine at Visagio, she is also living proof that the two of these things can be perfectly balanced in a single person.Her main passion is the development of people, and she points to the success of others as the main source of happiness in her life, a drive that comes in handy as Monique advocates for greater inclusion and diversity in her sector.She is also a fellow Brazilian, which gave us plenty of common ground to discuss all of the topics above in the Changing The Game podcast, where we managed to dig up a series of magnificent insights for people looking to make a real difference in the world.Jobs For Women, Jobs for MenWhen discussing the influences that led Monique to become an engineer, she mentioned how one of the main factors towards her decision was her own father, who worked as a logistics manager in a multinational company even though he was not graduated.Monique greatly admired her father for this and would often stop and listen whenever he talked about his work at home, and when the time to choose her career, there was no sense of “manly” or “girly” professions in her mind.From this, we can get an important lesson, which is this: Heroes remove barriers that separate the possible and impossible. It’s also not hard to see that when Monique set out to become an example for other women, there was a part of her father in this as well.That barrier women face in the field of engineering would only start to become clear when she got into college, where the ratio between women and men in the Industrial engineering course was unbalanced to the point where there were eight men for every woman.The Only Woman In the RoomMonique describes her trajectory to her prominent position within Visagio as one filled with its bumps and obstacles, the major of which, according to herself, was the bump of being a woman in a male dominated industry like STEM.“ Throughout my career, I can think of many examples where I was the only woman in the room, sometimes in a room with thirty people.” She recalled, but it was to such moments that Monique attributed her drive to change the game for women in STEM.She sought to bring the perspective of being the only woman in the room into meetings, projects, deliverables, wherever it could be brought into the forefront for everyone’s attention. A difficult process, but one that proved to be rewarding in the end.This trait Monique shares with many of the extraordinary women who I’ve interviewed: That she was able to use her adversities to establish herself as an example, blazing the trail for future generations of women in her field.The ConsultantAs is very common in Brazil, Monique partook in many different internships while in college, going through companies such as Michelin (which she didn’t like all that much, and Shell, which provided more of a corporate work environment.Monique liked working at Shell well enough, but she started wanting to do more, which is when she caught wind of this Company called Visagio which was founded by five engineers and had strong ties to her university.She applied and got a position there.While working at Visagio, Monique started getting into consulting and how she could apply everything she had learned at her course while still living the dynamic work life with several clients and projects which she so desired.MinorityIf Monique was a minority at her university course, this was not about to change at work either, and in every company she worked for, be it as an intern or consultant, she would only see men in decision-making positions when looking up.Monique’s drive to change this scenario came less of a desire to see herself o any other woman in a position of power within the company,...